Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Archive: October 2014

This Weekend: Peak Color at NYBG!

Posted in Programs and Events on October 31 2014, by Lansing Moore

Thain Family Forest trailNYBG’s trees are at 90% of peak color, jumping from 60% on Wednesday! Our Foliage Tracker has been going haywire this week as leaf season arrives in full force, just in time for the first of our Fall Forest Weekends. Autumn at the NYBG is at its most dazzling right now, and we have a full lineup of exciting activities to complete your experience of the colorful and serene woods. See live birds of prey, watch a master woodcarver at work, and even paddle a canoe down the Bronx River as you admire the Thain Family Forest from the best possible vantage  point. Click through for the full schedule.

Don’t forget, The Holiday Train Show® opens for another year in just two weeks—November 15th! Tickets are available now for preferred dates going into the peak season, as well as for Bar Car Nights, so be sure to book as soon as you can for these popular events.

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Today at the Greenmarket: Trick or Treat!

Posted in Programs and Events on October 29 2014, by Lansing Moore

Cauliflower GreenmarketToday our weekly Greenmarket is hosting a special Halloween Celebration! Come by before 3 p.m. for some extra fun and to enjoy your favorite fall treats. Try a taste of caramel corn and hot cider and snap a photo with a scarecrow! Kids can make some fall art, creating a leaf rubbing from one of NYBG’s many fallen leaves. Be sure to enter the New York Botanical Garden Raffle for a chance to win a bag of fresh produce and local goodies from the NYBG Greenmarket. Celebrate the season and learn about New York’s regional produce!

Our vendors have an abundance of healthy, fresh cauliflower for sale today, so it’s the perfect chance to share a little-known use for cauliflower—as a pizza crust! I kid you not, and speaking of kids, they won’t mind eating their vegetables when served like this. Click through for a quick and simple way to make a cauliflower pizza crust that you can cover with your preferred toppings.

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Containing The Situation

Posted in Horticulture on October 28 2014, by Lansing Moore

Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.


container gardening plantingTwo large containers adorn the entrance out by Bedford Gate. Traditionally, we have used the narrow leaf fig (Ficus binnendijkii ‘Alli’) as the centerpiece for these containers. Our specimens are multi-stemmed with long, narrow, lance-shaped leaves. Ficus binnendijkii ‘Alli’ is not as fussy as the ubiquitous weeping fig, Ficus benjamina. It is more tolerant of low light levels and does not have a tendency to drop its leaves when moved.

Our Ficus binnendijkii ‘Alli’ specimens are terrific candidates to under-plant with annuals. In late spring we place the narrow leaf figs into larger pots that provide ample space for seasonal plantings.

The combination for this year’s summer display started with good intentions and then went awry. The errors that were made are common and instructive. We under-planted Ficus binnendijkii ‘Alli’ with the following: angel wings (Caladium ‘Miss Muffet’), English ivy (Hedera helix ‘Green Needle Point’), begonia (Begonia ‘Pink Giraffe’) and coleus (Solenostemon ‘Wasabi’).

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Escape With Fall Forest Weekends at NYBG

Posted in Programs and Events on October 27 2014, by Lansing Moore

Thain Family Forest Bronx RiverThose who have been following our Fall Foliage Tracker know that peak color is just around the corner here at the Garden. While the rest of New York State’s leaf season has come and gone for the most part, the fun is just getting started here in the Native Plant Garden and the Thain Family Forest with the return of our popular Fall Forest Weekends this week and next.

Enjoy New York City’s largest remaining tract of old-growth forest at its most colorful alongside a variety of entertaining and educational activities to heighten your experience of this vital ecosystem. There will be plenty of color to appreciate during Forest tours and various live demonstrations. See live birds of prey, professional arborists demonstrating how they climb to the top of the tree canopy, and woodworking demonstrated by a skilled craftsman. You can even paddle a canoe down the Bronx River to take in rich scenery from the best vantage point there is!

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